Home Remedies For Itchy Skin of dogs

Your loving companion might be irritated and down because of itchy skin, especially in hot summer weather. Your pet needs special attention from your side to recognize the skin disorders and treat them with most effective remedies. For this, you must be aware of most popular home remedies followed across the world to treat itchy skin. Here are few remedies you may follow at home to treat skin problems of your pet related to itching.

Epsom salts: Providing a cool bath to your dog is the most effective remedy for relieving it from itchy skin. Also, you may add Epsom salts to the water to make it more effective. However, you must make sure that your pet doesn’t drink this water.

Oatmeal: Just like Epsom salts, you may also add oatmeal to the bath tub for your dog. It will help to fight the allergic reasons for your dog’s itchy skin.

Baking soda: Baking soda must be mixed in cold water and should be used to wash the area of dog’s skin, which is most prone to itching.

Fish oil: You may also add fish oil to the diet of your dog to provide remedy for the itchy skin. It will definitely work inside your pet’s body to enhance immunity against skin itching.

Emu oil: The emu oil must be poured over the food of your pet to relieve its skin from severe form of itching. You may find this special oil at different pet shops and online stores.

Apple cider vinegar: The mixture of apple cider vinegar with water also helps in bringing down the itching of your dog’s skin. You may apply this mixture to the infected area with the help of a clean towel.

Aspirin: You may mix aspirin tablets in rubbing alcohol and also prepare a mixture of tea in water. After that, you may take these two mixtures together and apply them over infected areas with the help of a cotton ball. This is considered as one of the most effective home remedies for itchy skin in dogs.

Essential oils: There are many essential oils available with you, which are quite effective in treating the skin itching in not only the pets, but also in humans. For instance, lavender, tea tree and white thyme are few oils, which are considered as best home remedies for itchy skin in a pet.

Removing fur: In extremely hot weather conditions, it is a good idea to remove excessive hair and fur from the body of your dog. The excessive fur may result in development of fungus and parasites and also, may cause more sweat than normal situations. Thus, removing these excessive hair definitely take the toll of itchy skin.

33 Comments

I would like to thank this website for providing the remedies online and especially home remedies as is very easily available in home and are very helpful,simple and plus there is no tablets as in my case my dog doesnot want to have any type of medicine.

I have been using Sulfodene for my dog since july. It’s only $3.50 at Wal-Mart. It is a shampoo & conditioner. It worked the first time I used it so I just kept using it cause its makes him so shiny & soft.Also it seems to keep fleas off too. You dont even have to let it sit for 10 mins like flea shampoo. You just lather and rinse.

I have used the vinegar and water and that didn’t help my little Yorkie,
it just made her stink. I also have not had much success with Epsom salts or the oils. Chamomile tea didn’t help either. I headed to health food store to get some neem oil. I saw a mixture of some things with that and it was supposed to help. I just gotta find recipe. Also my dogs would not touch the water with vinegar in it.
Will let yo know about neem oil. And I am adding garlic to their food starting tonight. Also going to get dehydrater and try homemade treats and some of the less expensive home made dog foods

One of the main causes for skin irritation on dogs can be fungal. Particularly if an animal has undergone a course of antibiotics or steroids. The more antibiotics and steriods, the worse the symptoms ultimately become resulting in an imbalance of flora in the digestive system and consequently an overgrowth of yeast which causes skin irritation (scabs and sores), excessive licking and gnawing around the anal region, hair loss on the underside, around the eye areas and the anal area, excessive gas, and very smelly stools. Neem Oil, which is an Ayurvedic medicine, that has been used for thousands of years, will almost certainly cure this complaint. After application for a week or so, the hair will regrow, the irritation will cease and the dog will regain a healthy skin. It is also a good idea to give the dog a course of prebiotics and probiotics to repopulate the good bacteria in the gut. The best and most pure Neem oil, which has been personally sourced in India by Mrs Hilary Thomson can be purchased at ekoneem.com. My dog Bruce is completely back to normal, having suffered so badly with terrible skin irritation. I cannot speak too highly of this product.

I have a 3yr old German Shepherd and has trouble with the dry skin, itches, bites and has the real dry spots by her back end. I was told baking soda would help, but she also has a smell to her, I don’t know if that’s from the dry skin or not? I don’t bath my dogs alot so it must be from the weather change, but she is the only one with the dry skin problem. (her mother seems to have Sent to her as well) I would appreciate any help from anyone.

I found that biotin supplements are the best remedy for itchy , dry skin on my dog. I started supplementing him with Bio-Coat Concentrated biotin supplement and the problem went away. My dog does not like pills, even if I put it in a snack, he manages to spit it out. Bio-Coat is in a powder form so I don’t have a problem administering it to him. I’ve tried many things, including neem oil but I realized that biotin is the best when it comes to skin and coat. I truly recommend it.

I have a 5 year old Shih Tzu who has been chronically plagued with itchiness, particularly the bridge of his nose that he rubs on any available door frame he can find. This leads to it being red raw. This does seem to get worse around pollen season and my vet recommended benadryl but I would love to find something natural instead. Can anyone recommend anything?

My dog is itching like crazy by his tail and thigh on one side. I dont see any fleas or flea dirt.
One poster here mentioned her dog wouldn’t touch water with vinegar in it which was mentioned as a remedy. I just wanted to mention that the vinegar and water mix is supposed to be put directly ON the affected area.
I’m going to try Lavender and then the apple cidear vinegar.
It only comes at this time of year so I think its seasonal allergies..

I have a shih-tzu who has been plagued by itchy skin, he is up all night constantly licking his bum area and legs, we have been to the vets every week and they just keep putting him on more steroids. I don’t want to give him anymore, they don’t work and the vet just keeps getting richer….I need help on fixing the problem so he can finally get a good night sleep..we have had no sleep since February when all of this started…Ideas anyone.

You can get neem oil at any good health food store or you can buy products for your dog with the neem oil already added in. I have seen dog shampoos, conditioners and soaps with neem oil (just google it).

If you buy the neem oil from the health food store then you mix it as follows: 1 gallon of water, 1.5 tablespoons liquid soap and 1 tablespoon of neem oil. Put into a spray bottle, shake and spray onto the dog’s fur. Lift the fur if it’s particuarly thick because you need to make skin contact. Please note that this solution is only good for a period of 8 hours, then you need to mix up another batch. Try to use the spray as soon as you have made it. Make sure the water is warm (not hot) before you add the soap and neem oil.

hey guyz
my dogss having a problem related to itchind which has caused us a lot of problem
she has a red spot where all her hairs are removed . and there are two itching spots transmitted by an otside dog.she is a 1 yr. old german shepherd
plzz help ppl
wud be gr8ful…………..

Do not leave soap on your dogs skin, whether mixed with neem oil or not as this is drying and soap is intended to be rinsed off of skin. Remove all scented items and especially strongly scented washing detergents that might be coming into contact with your dog. No scented powders, air fresheners, perfumes or perfumed candles etc. Do not blow dry your dogs hair as this is irritating and drying. Many small dogs and short haired breeds cannot tolerate grains very well, so this is one thing that can be removed from a dogs diet to see if there is any improvement. Grains, corn, and meals can be removed from the diet. A poor diet will lead to skin problems. Remove dead skin cells and even out the oil in your dogs fur by brushing often. A spray of water mixed with peppermint extract is soothing. Test the concoction on your own skin and it should cool your skin within a few minutes then you know that you have a good mix. It doesn’t take alot of the extract to get an effect. Apply this with a spray bottle and work into the fur.

Tarielle, thank you for the detail. Too many of these posts with very helpful info do not go into enough detail as to application, amount, and mixture.

Please be specific when posting your info to help others. Otherwise, it’s like telling us to use flour, baking powder, cocoa, eggs, sugar, oil and water and bake…to make a chocolate cake for the first time. : )

Keep the great suggestions coming, we all love our animals and want to help them enjoy life.

Tara, tylenol is completely different drug than aspirin. Excederin contains aspirin, but also caffeine (and maybe other ingredients) so I would not use it either.

Your dog cannot process acedomediphine or ibuprophen even topically, using it at all can damage your dogs internal organs and cause liver and renal failiure. Asprin is the only human painkiller that can be preoccessed by dogs in small doses.

If the problem is allergies rather than parasites you may want to change their food. Many brands of dog food have corn as a main ingredient and dogs can become allergic to it. My dogs were much better after switching to a better quality dog food.

I have a german shephard. He has hairloss on his back and itches constantly. When we had him on frontline it helped but did not fix it completely.he itches himself raw and i can’t get him to stop. at first we thought it was dry skin and tried different things. then we thought it was fleas but never saw any one him. any segestions on what i can do?

Please someone tell me what i can do to make my baby eat because she is not eating very good here lately and i am worried can i not feed her what i eat will it hurt her i have heard so many thiongs that i dont know to believe

Roxy is a rescue and I dont know to much about her past health. And at first she was eating what ever I would eat,then I was told that me feeding her like that would kill her so I freaked out and now I try to get her to eat the Alpo t-bone steak and chicken and so on but she hasnt really touched it I am concrened and worried not really sure what to do and I cant get her in to see the doctor until october the 13 th and that is great but what do I do in the mean time? I cant just let her starve. Help Help, also she is suffering from really itchy skin and it really bothers me so as of tomorrow I will start giving her a benadrill as well I am going to give her a bath with some head and sholders as well as some oatmeal and camamill tea if this ib ssomething I should not do please let me know today or early tomorrow thank you for your time and support.

I’m finding all of this very helpful and i would like to know if my dog is suffering from itchy skin caused by an allergic re-action from the food that i suspect is the culprit. I changed his food ’cause he wasn’t loving it and gave him a chicken variety dog food he never had before and near the end of the 5lb bag, he developed this ichy skin condition. I am told by the dog food vendor that lots of dogs are allergic to chicken! I changed his food to lamb and fruit/veggy only, a good quality again, and want to know how long will it take for the itchy condition, if it is a food allery,to dissapear from his system and clear up? thxs!

•Removing fur: In extremely hot weather conditions, it is a good idea to remove excessive hair and fur from the body of your dog. The excessive fur may result in development of fungus and parasites and also, may cause more sweat than normal situations. Thus, removing these excessive hair definitely take the toll itchy skin.

I have been reading about vaccinosis (a condition caused by over-vaccination of our dogs). The idea is that pets don’t need to be vaccinated over and over for the same thing, and may develop all kinds of conditions from skin problems to convulsions and tumors as a result. There is a lot of information online (one well known trainer/breeder asks those who buy his dogs to sign a promise that they will not vaccinate their dogs! He’s at Leerburg Kennels- there is also good information on Dr. Brian Pitcairn’s site. I just adopted a 9 yr old schnauzer who scratches like crazy all the time. No fleas, so I’m wondering if this is a symptom of vaccinosis. Am starting him on the homeopathic medicine Thuja today &, if I see improvement, will post back. Would be interested to know other folks’ ideas on vaccination. After all, how many times have you been vaccinated for measles or smallpox? How come just once is enough for humans?

Hi … I have a Blue Heeler (cattle dog) called Teisha always had skin allergies whilst she was younger but lately she seems to do nothing but scratch and the only time I noticed she isn’t scratching is when she is being walked or asleep – she is 10 years old now. So after religiously trying shampoo and cream from Vet which incidentally did not work.
5 hrs ago after her walk I washed her in SUNLIGHT SOAP exactly what I used to wash my hair and body in when I grew up – left it on for 15 mins whilst she is in the sun (cool day) but she swims all year round so a little cold did not bother her she adored the rubdown. Then I washed it off with warm water with EPSON SALTS then I made a paste of BAKING SODA and rubbed it into her coat. I think this honestly has done the trick she has not scratched once and as I said that is 5 hrs ago. Worth a try – I am happy with this. Cheers Robyn

For feeding picky or sick dogs: boil a chicken, take all the bones out, but keep all the water. Use the water to cook plain brown rice. I have never had a dog refuse to eat this, and it is one of the gentlest things you can give them if they are sick.

For itching: While Apple Cider vinegar can work, it also stings if there are any open spots. I use the baking soda. About 1 tablespoon in 1-2 cups of cool water. You can apply it with a washcloth- dip the cloth in the water and squeeze it over the itchy areas until they are wet. We have one Schnauzer that I have to treat about every two days during heat waves. This is a great remedy since there is no mess and it is very inexpensive.
It can also help to trim the hair in the itchy areas, especially if they have long hair. It may look funny, but the dogs don’t mind as long as they stop itching.
If you dog smells bad even after a bath, has open sores, or this doesn’t work, take them to the vet. They may have an infection that needs more than home remedies. Best of luck.

For the chicken recipe above, add the chicken back into the cooked rice. Feed in small doses several times a day if you can if your dog has been sick or not eating for a while.

Also, sometimes just adding chicken broth from the store to a good quality dry dog food will get picky eaters attention. We use Trader Joe’s Lamb and Rice food, with organic chicken broth added just before we give it to them. I mean’ wouldn’t you get bored with dry kibble day after day, too?

Also for the itching, food allergies can be a factor. Many dog foods have things in them that can trigger allergies, including corn. I recommend going with a simple lamb or chicken and rice variety. Trader Joe’s brand has worked for us for years, and it is not nearly as expensive as the fancy brands. They also have several natural dog treats, again very inexpensive but very good for picky dogs.